All News

January 21, 2004

McLeod's Daring Pole To Pole Flight Is On Its Way
With a weather window of opportunity pushing Gus McLeod to
head South, ASAP, in his bid to fly a record flight around the
earth via both poles, it had to be a relief to finally get
airborne. Having already visited the North Pole via open cockpit
biplane, McLeod has decided on a new set of challenges in his bid
to circle the earth via both Poles in a highly modified Korean
Velocity variant called the "Firefly."
Dr. Gustavus McLeod is the first person to fly in an open
cockpit airplane (and, admittedly, possibly the only one who would
want to...) to the North Pole. He is also the recipient of an
honorary doctoral degree from Florida Atlantic University in
2002. His flight, which will be tracked b

Who Said You Can't Age Gracefully?

Believe it or not, the Beechcraft King Air line of aircraft has
reached its 40th birthday. As one would expect, Raytheon is
celebrating in style and are even asking for the public's help in
celebrating this workhorse of business, commercial and military
aviation.
On Jan. 20, 1964, the original Beechcraft King Air Model 90 lifted
off from Beech Field in Wichita, and flew into the record
books. The most successful business aircraft of all time, the
King Air family today remains a highly versatile aircraft
line.
To commemorate the King Air’s 40th year, Raytheon Aircraft is
transforming a King Air 350 – serial FL 400, N40TH –
into an anniversary showcase. Already featuring new Collins
Pro Line 21 avionics

Mark February 28th On Your Calendars

The United States Ultralight Association will hold its 2004
Annual Member Meeting February 28, 2004, in Springfield, Illinois,
at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The mid-winter event will be
held in conjunction with the 24th Annual Illinois Ultralight
Advisory Council (IUAC) Ultralight/Lightplane Safety Seminar.
Between the USUA business meetings that are also being held during
the weekend, the USUA Board of Directors, Staff and Regional
Representatives will be on hand to greet members and prospective
members.
The Meeting and Seminar will be held in the 400-seat Illinois
Building & Auditorium on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Registration for both events will begin at 8:00AM at the
fairgrounds. Following the Annual Member Meeti

NATA Has Serious Concerns About The NPRM
The FAA has extended the comment period from January 20 to
April 19, 2004 for the proposed NPRM that would require Part 91
sightseeing operations to be certificated under Part 135. Last
November, NATA filed comments with the DOT requesting an extension
on the deadline for comments. "We are concerned that requiring
these sightseeing operations-most of which are small businesses-to
undergo Part 135 certification will place an untenable financial
burden on them and force them out of business," stated director of
government and industry affairs Eric Byer.
"The additional time will give us and our members time to reply and
document our concerns to the FAA.

Worker Walks Away In One Piece

We all know that walking around moving aircraft can be dangerous
business. However, one Ohio man recently discovered how one
moment of inattention nearly cost him an extremity, if not his
life.
The incident occurred when lineman was trying to direct an
aircraft into a parking space when the moving propeller hit his arm
at about 8:10 p.m. Almost immediately, the man, whose name was not
released, was taken to the Miami Valley Hospital near Dayton.
No information was given on the worker's condition, but it's safe
to say he's counting his blessings.

One hundred years and one month after the Wright Brothers' first
powered flight, another aviation milestone was completed with the
ceremonial flight of EAA's 1 millionth Young Eagle Andrew Grant by
aviation legend General Chuck Yeager. Originally scheduled to occur
as a part of the centennial celebration on December 17 in Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina, the flight instead took place on Saturday,
January 17, at the Nevada County Airport (017), Grass Valley,
California.
December's flight was postponed by bad weather. But Richard
Beattie, Vice President of Jaguar North America the primary Young
Eagles sponsor, suggested rescheduling the flight for a later date
in California near Gen. Yeager's home. After reviewing schedules,
January 17 was selected as a target date for the flight -
coinc

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STC Approved For Citation 500 Jets

B/E Aerospace, Inc. has received FAA approval expanding the
aftermarket applications for the company's LED-based interior
lighting systems. The FAA approval, known as a Supplemental Type
Certificate, permits the aftermarket installation of both B/E
direct and indirect LED lighting on the Cessna Citation 500 series
business jets. The Supplemental Type Certificate indicates that
B/E's product meets all of the FAA's airworthiness and safety
standards.
For the first Citation 500 installation, B/E teamed with O'Gara
Aviation in Atlanta, Georgia. John B Foster III, President of
O'Gara Aviation, provided the launch aircraft. O'Gara Aviation has
more than 22 years experience in aircraft brokerage, management,
refurbishment and turnkey

New Space Plan Calls for The Telescope's Retirement

Last week, President Bush announced a bold new space initiative
that called for returning to the moon and eventually setting foot
on Mars. While NASA engineers will focus on accomplishing these
lofty goals, some recent projects, like the high-tech Hubble Space
Telescope will eventually fall to the wayside.
NASA recently announced the Hubble will be allowed to degrade
and eventually become useless, as the agency changes focus to meet
President Bush's new interplanetary mission. As a result, NASA has
canceled all space shuttle servicing missions to the orbital
telescope, which changed our stellar perspective with its striking
images of the universe. John Grunsfeld, NASA's chief scientist,
said Friday that NASA adm

Largest Gear Ever Supplied By Messier-Dowty

On Monday, Messier-Dowty announced the delivery of the first
test A380 nose landing gear to Airbus UK. Standing at 4.8 meters
tall when fully extended, the A380 nose landing gear is the largest
landing gear ever supplied by Messier-Dowty to Airbus. The gear
will be fitted to the Airbus system test rig located in Filton,
England to allow Airbus UK to perform the aircraft systems testing
validation.
Messier-Dowty was selected in 2001 to design, manufacture, test
and support the nose landing gear for the Airbus A380. The nose
gear development benefits from Messier-Dowty's extensive experience
on previous Airbus aircraft, including the A340-600, and will
ensure a future growth capability of the aircraft up to 620
tons.
Th

Having better intelligence than your enemy is vital to the
success of a military operation, and the current situation in Iraq
is no exception. Every day, terrorists, insurgents, and members of
the ousted Baath Party attempt ambushes and place improvised
explosive devices intended to kill innocent civilians and coalition
soldiers.
To combat this, the Army has recently developed and deployed a new
information gatherer – the Shadow, a tactical unmanned aerial
vehicle.
Soldiers from the 312th and 313th Military Intelligence Battalions
operate and maintain the Shadow TUAV for the 82nd Airborne
Division, which is calling the Anbar province home these days. The
vehicle's mission is to gather intelligence from high altitudes,
which allows it to remain mostly imperceptible to e

Standard Aero Clinches T56 Engine Maintenance Deal

Dunlop Standard Aerospace Group Limited's subsidiary company,
Standard Aero, has been awarded a one year contract with four
renewable one year options to provide Depot Level Repairs for the
Navy's T56 Series III engine modules. The contract is structured as
an estimated $84.7 Million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity
for the one-year term, with similar revenue estimates on renewal of
the contract.
The T56 Series III engine powers the Navy's fleet of P-3 Orion,
C-130 Hercules, E-2 Hawkeye, and C-2 Greyhound aircraft.
Derivatives of this engine are also used to power various US Navy
frigates. Standard Aero claims it has over 40 years of experience
in maintaining the Rolls-Royce Allison T56/501 family of engines
and

Makes Up for Beagle's Blunder

Following NASA's recent success with its Spirit Mars rover,
Europe's own Mars Express orbiter sent back its first
high-resolution pictures of the planet's surface, much to the
excitement of the European Space Agency's (ESA) engineers.
On Monday, agency officials explained the spacecraft captured
detailed photos of the planet's rocky and barren landscape,
including part of the huge Martian canyon called Valles
Marineris.Over the past week, European controllers have focused on
calibrating the orbiter's on-board instruments, including, in
addition to its high-resolution stereo camera, a powerful radar
that will search beneath the surface for signs of water or ice that
may once have sustained living organisms.
Monday's news helps brigh

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Picks Up Rolls-Royce Gear Systems, Inc.

On Monday, Triumph Group, Inc. announced the acquisition of
Rolls-Royce Gear Systems, Inc. from Rolls-Royce North America
Venture I Inc. for consideration of $36 million. The acquired
business, to be renamed Triumph Gear Systems, Inc., is projected to
add approximately $55 million of revenue for fiscal 2005 and be
accretive to earnings.
Located in Park City, Utah, the company employs about 200 people
and specializes in the design, development, manufacture, sale and
repair of gearboxes, high-lift flight control actuators and
gear-driven actuators and gears for the aerospace industry. Primary
products include aircraft and engine mounted accessory drives,
utility actuation components and systems, high-lift actuation
systems and flig

Well Positioned for 2004; High Fuel Prices Remain a
Challenge

On Tuesday, Continental Airlines reported a fourth quarter net
income of $47 million ($0.67 diluted earnings per share). These
results include additional net income of $85 million relating to
special items, primarily driven by the sale of interests in Hotwire
and Orbitz.Excluding the special items, Continental's loss per
share was $0.58 for the quarter, which compares favorably to the
First Call mean estimate of $0.81 loss per share. The results,
excluding special items, are a 65 percent improvement over the
fourth quarter 2002 loss per share of $1.67.
Continental's net income for the full year was $38 million
($0.58 diluted earnings per share). Excluding special items ($136
million after taxes) and the gove

Defending Earth from Asteroids and Comets

While a scary thought to many of us, the space industry has been
working on a plan to deal with the possibility of an asteroid
impact on Earth. While one would think this subject is tailored
more for the Hollywood movie industry, some scientists -- many of
whom are meeting next month to discuss the issue -- insist the
threat is real.
Developing strategies for mitigating threats from asteroids and
preparing for catastrophic events will be discussed when an
international group of scientists, engineers, space policy makers,
and others gather in Garden Grove, (CA)., Feb. 23-26 for the
Planetary Defense Conference 2004 (PDC). Participants will develop
a set of recommendations for improving the ability to successfully
defend our plan

Citations Used For Testing

Southern Star Avionics, a partnership between Mobile (AL) -
based Star Aviation and Southern Avionics, has completed flight
testing for the Cessna Citation 560 and S550 airframes, with Group
Certification expected in early March. Southern Star currently
holds RVSM Group Certification on the Cessna Citation 500/550 and
-SP series aircraft.
The turnkey installation kit uses two identical IS&S digital
altimeters with integrated air data computers and an analog
interface unit. The kit is available for both single and
dual-flight director aircraft equipped with the Sperry SPZ-500
autopilot.
The Southern Star RVSM kit comes standard with the IS&S Air
Data Display units, Analog Interface Unit, a complete
pre-fabricated wi

"There's still magic in
aviation..."
Source: Globe-trotting Pilot,
GusMcLeod, explaining some of the reasons for his daring attempt to
fly around the world, over both Poles in a composite, single-engine
Velocity/Firefly.

Kirk Watson Named VP, Aircraft Technical Services

AeroCentury Corp., an independent aircraft leasing company,
announced on Monday that JetFleet Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of its
management company, JetFleet Management Corp., has hired Kirk
Watson as Vice President, Aircraft Technical Services.
Mr. Watson joins AeroCentury from Avionco Inc., where he served
as Technical Director since 2001. Prior to joining Avionco, Mr.
Watson held various positions of increasing responsibility at Avmax
Group, Field Aviation West Ltd., and several regional airline and
airline service firms. Mr. Watson holds a Certification in
Management from Canadian Institute of Management along with various
airline maintenance licenses.
AeroCentury is an aircraft operating lessor and finance co